Locking means for automatic tuners



March 3, 1942. LE ROY J. LEISHMAN 2,275,369

LOCKING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC TUNER.

Filed Nov. 22, 193'? INVENTOR.

I ion of one of the other tuning members.

' Patented Mar. 3, 1942 UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC TUNERS 7 Le Roy J. Leishm'an, Los Angeles, Calif. t Application November 22, 1937, Serial No. 175,915

10 Claims.

set employing such controls is used in an automo-bile, the vibration of the car throws the set out of tune, as the relatively short movement of the controls makes it impossible to use the conventionalworm-gear arrangement for locking the ondenser rotor in any position to which it may be turned. One of the objects of the present invention is to eliminate these difliculties by providing means for locking each of the selectively movable station controls in the position to which it is moved when tuning in the station, and for unlocking such control upon the subsequent oper- Another object is the provision of means for unlocking a control without the necessity of locking another in order to release the first. Still other objects willappear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing:

1 is aside view of the mechanism with one of the supporting end-plates omitted and the es-- cuicheon and index-tab holder shown in section.

Fg. 2 is a rear elevation of the locking mechanism. 1 1 1 Fig. 3 is a cross-section of part of Fig. 1, taken on line 3-3.

Although the locking mechanism hereinafter describcd is intended for use on any device capable of rotating 3. control shaft to a predetermined angular position upon the movement in one direction of a lever or similar member, this specifieatz'on will describe its use in connection with a radio tuner of the type disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 154,819. When the locking arrangement is used on -an automatic tuner of this kind, shaft S, Fig. 1, is connected to the gang condenser shaft by 2- -1 gears (not shown, because this feature does not form a part of the present invention), but shalt S may be connected directly to the condenser shaft by suitable coupling if the tuning mechanism covers an angle substantially equal to that through which the condenser rotor turns.

Positionable member Al, Fig. 1, is in a position when lever Fl is pressed down. The lower edge of this lever engages the positionable member on the rounded end 4 and rotates it until it assumes the position in which positionable member A2 5 is shown in the figure. .If member Al were initially in a position 180 degrees from that illustrated. it will be obvious that the pressing of lever Fl would engage the rounded endKl, thus turning the rotatable member until the movement of lever Fl and the positionable member, or lever,

would be mutually arrested.

To "set" this type of tuner, indextab 0 beneath the lever to be set is first removed from the recess between the holder M and escutcheon D.

The lever is then pressed all the way down, as

indicated by the position of lever.F2. This brings the set screw R2 into alignment with hole U in the escutcheon. By means of a screw-driver in-. serted through this hole, the set-screw is then released. This permitsshal't S to turn freely while the positionable lever is held in a fixed position. It will be evident that a station may then be tuned in by the regular tuning knob (not shown), thus establishing a definite angular relation between arm A2 and the shaft. After the desired station has been carefully tuned in in this manner, set-screw R2 is again tightened. Movably mounted on rod or studs Q3 are two rocker .members 5, Figs. 1 and 2, :and 6, Fig. 2. These rockers are held together by members I on end plate ll, Fig. 2. These springs pull the rockers toward the operating levers and cause member 8 to hook under edge ll of projection l5'on the rear end of the depressed lever. Edge ll of projection l5 and edge l6 of member 8 are 0 preferably tapered so that springs J3 and J4 wedge member 8 firmly underprojection l5, thus assuring that the operating lever will be he d tightly against the positionable member, keeping it definitely in the tuned-in position.

If lever F2 is locked in the position shown in Fig. 1, and lever Fl is then pressed down, the rear edge of projection l! on lever Fl will engage ratchet-bar l8, pressing it against pin IS on rccker 5 and pin 20 on rocker 6. This action 0' pushes the rocker back and causes bar 8 to slip 'ut from under projection IS on the rear end of lever F2. Spring J2 then pulls lever F2 back up to its normal inoperative position against bumper B, which may be a tube. of rubber or 90 degrees from that to which it is rotatable other resilient material around a rodQl extending from oneend plate to the other. After the .iocked lever hasbeen released in this way, lever Fl engages end 4 of positionable member A! and rotates it-while the following described operations are taking place. As lever F2 moves to its inoperative position, the rounded edge 22 of projecstud or shaft Q3, the free end of ratchet-bar is where it remains momentarily. As projection I! continues to press back,'rotating the rocker on stud or shaft Q3, the free end of ratchet-bar I8 soon moves out of engagement with projection I! and springs J3 and J5 pull on rockers 5 and 6, causing the rounded portion of bar 8 to strike the rounded portion of projection 2! on lever Fl. The release of ratchet-bar l8 by projection 51 permits the rounded edge 22 of projection 23 to press on the rounded edge of the ratchet-bar, causing it to turn on pivot 24 away from pins i9 and 20 against the action of spring J5 and. another similar spring J6, Fig. 3, on the other end of the ratchet-bar. As soon as the end of projection 22 and the edge of the ratchet bar' pass each other, springs J5 and 'JE return the ratchet-bar to the position shown in Fig. l, where it is ready to be engaged by the lower projection of the next operating lever'that is pressed down. As lever Fl continues on the downward stroke,

projection 2i slips past the end of bar-8 :and

and positionable member Al willthen be'locked v in the tuned-in position until another operating indicates the back of a special release lever F3,

Fig. 2, which does not otherwise appear in Fig. 1, because in this view its edges coincide with those of lever Fl excepting for the rear portion now under discussion. It will thus be seen that-this lever is identical to the others with the exception of .the fact that it has no rear projection like projections l5 and 2! of levers F2 and Fl respectively. 'It will be obvious that the pressing down of this lever having no rear projection willunlock any operating lever "that may be depressed without itself being locked, as there is nothing for the locking bar 8 to hook under. v provided to move any locked lever out of the way so that the set may be tuned by the manual tuning knob, which is notshown in any oithe flgures because it forms no'part of this invention. This release leveris not essential, as any 0! the operating levers may be used to unlock any other lever without itself becoming locked by'merely moving the lever-far enough to produce the unlocking action and then permitting the lever to flip back up. .No lever is locked down until it has reached the extreme limit of its motion.

The equipping of a lever-tuned radio set with this mechanism enables anyone to identify the station that is tuned in by-merely noting which lever is locked down. Furthermore, sets subject to vibration, such as automobile receivers, cannot be detuned by such vibration it the stations are tunned in by levers having the locking provisions This release lever is radio instrument, a combination including: a

aavasee herein described or some similar embodiment of the invention.

Although the preferred form of my invention is substantially as described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications, omissions, additions or substitutions are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

My claims are:

1. In a device for angularly positioning a control of a radio instrument, a combination including: a rotatable element; a plurality of independently operable mechanisms comprising means by which said element may be rotated in either direction uponmovement of a member of said mechanism in one direction; and a movable structure comprising a first means adapted to lock the moving parts of any of said mechanisms against further movement and a second means adapted to effect the release or said parts; each of said mechanisms having a first shoulder adapted to be engaged by said first means to efieot the locking of the moving parts of said mechanism, and a second shoulder adapted to actuate said second means.

2. In an instrument for angularly positioning a control of a radio device, a combination including: I

a rotatable element; a'plurality of independently operable mechanisms comprising means by which said element may be rotated; and an angularly movable structure comprising a first means adapted to engage a member of any of said mechanismsand lock it in a definite position and a second means for effecting the release of said member; each of said mechanisms comprising a member having a firstabutment adapted to be engaged by said first means, and a second abutment adapted to engage said second means and move said assembly to release any locked member; said first means positioned further than said second means from the substantial axis of rotation of said structure.

3. In a device for angularly positioning a control ot a radio instrument, a combination including: a rotatable element; a plurality of independently operable mechanisms each comprising an operating means and instrumentalities by which said element may be rotated to a predetermined angular position during an operating stroke of said means in one direction; and a latching means adapted under actionpf a spring to lock any of said operating means in the position that said means occupies at the endof its operating stroke; each of said operating means having a first shoulder for moving said latching means against the action of said spring, and a second shoulder adapted to be engaged and wedged by said latching means when said operating means has reached the end of its operating stroke; said shoulders being so spaced with respect to the cooperating parts of the latching means that said, element is invariably rotated after said first shoulder has moved said latching means and before said second shoulder has been engaged by said latching means.

4. In a device for positioning a control of a reversibly movable control element; a cover plate; a plurality of mechanism for effecting the movement of said element each to a predetermined position, each of said mechanisms comprising a movable member operable through the plane of said plate and having a restoring spring for holding said member in a normally inoperative first position; each of said mechanisms alsocomprising adjustable means for predetermining the position to which said element will be moved upon movementof the associated member from said first position. to a second position; and a latching means for member and a plurality of male screws each individual to one of said adjustablemeans for retaining said adjustable means in adjusted position;

said plate apertured to permit said screws to be operated from the front of said plate.

5. In a device for angularly positioning a control of a radio instrument, a combination including: a rotatable positionable member; a plurality' of independently operable devices each'comprising an operating means and positioning means by which said member may be rotated to a predetermined angular position upon movement of said operating means in one direction, and a spring for yieldinglyholding-said operating means in a rest-position; and means for preventing the return of said operating means to said rest position under action of said spring and for urging said positioning means against said member.

- 6. In a radio station selector, a rotatable positionable member and a movable manual for positioning the same, the positionable member and the manual being provided with two pairs of coacting contact portions, the engagement of one pair of contact portions serving to effect the positive rotation oi. the positionable member in one direction, the engagement of the other pair of contact portions serving to effect the positive rotation of the positionable member in the opposite direction, and the engagement of both pairs of contact portions serving to stop'and lock the positionable member in its selected position, and a latching means for said manual, said latching means being active on said manual for urging both pairs of contact portions into engaged and locked position.

7. In a radio station selector, a rotatable positionable member, a movable manual comprising contact portions for engaging said. positionable member to rotate and position the latter, and latching means for said manual, said latching means being movable into latching position when the manual is moved to operative position, said latching means having a part exerting a. force on the said manual to hold the contact portions thereof in pressing engagement with the said positionable member.

8. In an instrument for positioning a control of a radiodevice, a combination including: a movable control element; a plurality of individually operable mechanisms each comprising a selector, a retaining spring for said selector, and means by which said element may be moved in either of opposite directions to a predetermined position upon movement of said selector against the action of said retaining spring; a movable latching means comprising a bar disposed transversely to said selector; and resilient means for moving said latching means in one direction; each oi! said selectors having a shoulder that intersects the line of motion of the adjacent portion of said bar when said selector has reached the end of its movement against the action of said retaining spring so that the pressureof said bar on said shoulder will urge said selector toward the extreme end of said movement against the action of said retaining spring.

9. In a device for angularly positioning a control of a radio instrument, a combination including: a rotatable element; a plurality of independently operable mechanisms comprising means by which said element may be rotated in either direction upon movement or a member of any one of said mechanisms in one direction; and a pivoted structure comprising a first means adapted to lock the moving parts of any one of said mechanisms against further movement and asecond means-adapted to effect the release of said parts; each of said mechanisms having a first part adapted to be engaged by said first 'means to effect the locking of the moving parts of any one of said mechanisms, and a second part adapted to actuate said second means. I

10. In a device for angularly positioning a control of a radio instrument, a combination includ ingi a rotatable element; a plurality of independently operable mechanisms comprising means by which said element may be rotated in either direction upon movement of a member of any one of said mechanisms in one direction; and a pivoted structure comprising a first means adapted to restrain the moving parts of any one'of said mechanisms against further movement and a second means adapted to effect the release of said parts; each of said mechanisms having a first part adapted to be engaged by said first means toefiect the immobilization of the moving parts of any one of said mechanisms, and a second part adapted to actuate -said second means.

LE ROY J. LEISHMAN. 

